You are a mercenary possessed by a flame demon in a desperate world ravaged by seven Ice Lords. In this RPG where every choice counts, you will have to choose between unleashing the powers of the beast within and rejecting its demonic influence.

About This Game

You are a mercenary possessed by a flame demon in a desperate world ravaged by seven Ice Lords and their Dead-Army.

In this RPG where all your choices lead to consequences, you will have to choose between unleashing the powers of the beast within and rejecting the demonic influence that wants to claim your humanity.

Freely develop your abilities and combat style through three skill trees: swing the heavy weapons of the Fighter, wield the sneaky dual daggers of the Ranger, or use the devastating flame spells of the Pyromancer.

Recruit companions who will live, love, hate and fight alongside you against the dreadful creatures of Vertiel, in real-time epic battles based on tactics and reaction.

The bigger the danger, the greater the temptation to draw on the demon’s power at the cost of your soul… which way will YOU choose?

Bound by Flame is a Third-Person, Story-Driven, Action-Oriented RPG developed by Spiders & published by Focus Home Interactive, the very same duo that conceived Mars: War Logs.

You are thrust into the harshness of Vertiel as Vulcan, powder master of the Freeborn Blades. The Blades along with the Elves & the Red Scribes fiercely stand as the last bastion of civilization against the might of the seven Ice Lords & their Deadwalker minions who seek to plunge Vertiel into an everlasting Ice Age. You – Vulcan – stand on the precipice of Vertiel. Will you be able to stem the frozen tide?

Before embarking upon your journey, you will be met with the character creation screen. The options present are few but include the ability to change hair/face type in addition to customizing your character’s name. The option to choose gender is also present.

Vertiel is a harsh & unforgiving land with varying environments, from tree-filled swamps to death-ridden sewers. The environments are linear, disjointed & feel claustrophobic at times despite much of the game taking place in outdoor locales.

There are three unique skill trees – Warrior, Ranger & Pyromancer, which allow you to customize your playthrough. There are several different weapon types as well. Ultimately, you’ll have to allot skill points according to which weapon you desire to use throughout. While there is some wiggle room in the ability to customize your character, it is somewhat limited as to variability. Also present is a feat system that grants a wide array of bonuses to crafting, health/mana, exploration etc., depending on how feat points are spent.

The combat feels fluid & rewarding upon dispatching your enemies into the afterlife. The boss fights are of particular note, as they are quite difficult & well-thought out in their construction. The final boss encounter was a personally euphoric experience. Even the most battle hardened will experience difficulty here.

As you adventure throughout Vertiel you will encounter foes & allies alike. Foes will become friends & friends will become foes, instigated by war’s untimely wrath. Certain allies will be able to join you on your adventure & assist you in battle, providing everything from damage absorption to the critical heal that will permit the eventuality of victory. Unfortunately, their use is highly variable & they become almost useless in certain drawn-out encounters.

Bound by Flame has an in-depth crafting system, enabling the crafting of potions, traps & even weapon/armor upgrades to slay the most formidable of foes. Much time can be wasted perfecting each piece of equipment to desired playstyle.

The dialogue in Bound by Flame is its Achilles’ heel. It does not suit the fantasy environment in any capacity whatsoever. The facial animations are equally as poor. Coupled together they provide a major drawback for any player seeking an immersive fantasy experience.

The art style & graphics provide a suitable backdrop. Other than being simply existing as a medium for the story to unravel, they don’t provide much in the way of eye candy. There is also a literal plethora of cut scenes rendered with the in-game engine. The majority of them can be skipped however, if heart longs for battle.

Olivier Deriviére, creator of the soundtrack, also creator of the soundtrack to Remember Me, pulls no punches in creating a phenomenal score that exudes both wonder & excitement. Getting lost in the different bits & pieces of it are a certainty & a joy.

In conclusion, Bound by Flame is a mixed bag in the RPG genre. It flourishes in its strengths but continually stumbles upon its mistakes. Despite its drawbacks, Bound by Flame is note-worthy & very much worth a try for fans of the genre.

As far as action-RPGs go , this is an average game. Not the worst, and no the best. It is rough around the edges, but can also be great fun a times. Combat is both frustrating and entertaining. Dialogue can be charming , and then embarassingly bad. The bottom line is I can only recommend this game, when it has a sale. You can forgive it's shortcomings when you have paid less than half-price.

Challanging:Smart ♥♥♥ me thought to myself, "Hey, I've got about 15 years of RPG experience, I'll just go straight for 'Captain' difficulty! How bad can it be?"...I was an idiot. Bound by Flame, on Captain, proved to be one of the most challanging games I've ever played, by far.Every enemy in this game has it's own mechanics, which encourage a different approach, and on this difficulty, every minion you encounter might be the one that will kill you.This is one of those rare games where you'll find yourself saving, after defeating even the lowliest of minions.It does make winning feel a whole lot greater.

Graphics:While the graphics are not 'Crysis level', they are pretty good, certainly enjoyable.

Audio:Great soundtrack, enjoyable to the ear. Comes in complete contrast to the horrifying screams of frustration you will release.

Choice:You have a decision-based system here that does have an impact on the game, if not 'world-changing'.It's not really like, say, Mass Effect, but it's nice.

Crafting:The game has a minimal crafting system, not much at all, really, but just enough as a side-feature to support a game with other focuses.You can use it to create certain consumables, as well as to break items into matirials, and use those matirials for both creating consumables, and upgrading your gear.

Half-Way-Between-Pro-And-Con:It's worth mentioning that the story-line in the game is nice, I like it, but it does feel like a... Summed up version of a bigger story-line.

Cons:

The AI:The AI that "helps" you in the fights, your partners... How do I put this... They are stupid.They are beyond stupid. And mostly useless.They put themselves in danger often, and can't really hold their own for very long.

Fighting-controls:This is my one main issue with this game. The controls, at least when using a keyboard&mouse, are horrible for fighting.It's not game-breaking at all, it's very duable, you just need to learn how it works, it's just very very annoying.

Conclusion:Highly recommended. Briliant game that is, without a doubt, worth a buy.If you enjoy RPGs so hard you want to comete genocide, this game is for you.

I hope this is helpful. I am dead tired, superbly happy after finally defeating thew last boss and finishing it, but primarily tired.Ziv.